Isolation
by PJ in NH
Summary: P, EMH, P/T Radiation nets, stasis chambers, and Tom.


Title: Isolation  
Author: PJ in NH  
Series: VOY  
Rating: PG  
Codes: P, EMH, P/T  
Synopsis: Radiation nets, stasis chambers, and Tom. How does he  
survive when he's the one that has to take care of Voyager when  
the rest of the crew are again forced to use the stasis units?  
Email: OK to PTF, ASC, ASCEM, & BLTS. Please notify me if  
you post anywhere else.  
Note of Appreciation: Special thanks to my beta readers Annie M,  
Phyllis Sutherland, and Ronda Sexton. Thanks ladies, you helped  
make this story possible.

Isolation  
by PJ in NH  
10/99

Rating PG

Present time...

"Mr. Paris, it is time to wake up."

Tom groaned and turned his golden head into the crook of his arm,  
away from the EMH.

"Mr. Paris, you are scheduled to resume your duties in forty  
minutes--that leaves you just enough time to shower, change, and  
eat before you have to return to the bridge."

"Fv mo' min-its," came the garbled reply.

"I've already given you ten minutes more that you usually  
require." The Doctor reached down grabbed the pilot by his  
shoulders and shook him briskly. "Rise and shine, Ensign, it's  
time to go to work!"

Groaning Tom rubbed at his sleep encrusted eyes with one hand  
before he opened them. How could even a hologram sound so  
cheerful at 0530, he wondered. He looked first up at the Doctor  
then down at his "bed" and sighed. "I did it again, didn't I?"

The EMH nodded. "Next time you anticipate spending the night  
down here, I suggest you bring a pillow."

Tom returned the nod slowly and placed his right hand over the  
thin transparent aluminum barrier that separated him from his  
mate and had also served as his bed for the night. He looked  
down onto her peaceful sleeping face. He had never seen B'Elanna  
Torres so serene for such a long period of time it seemed  
unnatural. He had to admit, he missed her fiery temper. What he  
wouldn't give for her to curse at him right now and throw things  
at him. Anything but this silence.

"How much longer?" he asked though he knew the answer.

"Twenty-four days, five hours, and thirty-seven minutes at our  
present rate of progress," the physician replied.

Despite the urge he had to bend down and kiss the window between  
him and B'Elanna, he refrained from doing so being in the  
Doctor's presence. "I'll see you on the bridge, Doc."

"Very well, I'll just check things out down here and then I'll be  
up with your medication."

Tom grimly nodded and took a long look around at the stasis  
chambers that lined one of the cargo bays on Deck 14. Far  
against the wall, the Delaney sisters lay side by side as was  
fitting. Neelix's chamber was positioned ironically enough next  
to Ensign Smithers who still couldn't stomach the Talaxian's  
meals. Harry lay in the middle of the room not very far away  
from Seven. And on the upper level, Kathryn Janeway rested next  
to her First Officer where, Tom was sure, she'd like to be all  
the time.

So many people he now considered not only friends but family, all  
sleeping and waiting for him to finish his job--until he got them  
safely to the other side.

The pilot sighed once and swallowed a sob that caught in his  
throat. The overwhelming feeling of loneliness threatened to  
engulf him, but he fought it off. He never thought he would see  
the chambers again...he prayed he'd never see one again not after  
the last time. But this time it was different, he was the one on  
the outside. Surprisingly, it wasn't that much better--in fact  
in some respects, it was worse. His stasis chamber was just  
larger--just he and the Doc on an essentially empty Voyager.

§§§§§§§§

Ten days before...

With one long elegant finger that was still encased in its Borg  
exoskeleton, Seven of Nine pointed to an area on the stellar map  
that was displayed on the conference room view screen.

The area that Seven indicated was incredibly vast. When they had  
come upon it two days ago, it had baffled not only the crew, but  
the computer as well. Nothing like it had ever been seen before.  
While it certainly intrigued the Captain, it puzzled her as well.  
In order to develop a way to either circumvent it or to go  
through it, she had assigned Harry, B'Elanna, and Seven of Nine  
to work together. They were now presenting their findings, and  
their answers were not what the Captain had hoped or expected to  
hear.

From the other side of the conference room table, Janeway leaned  
forward on her elbows to get a better view of the viewscreen.  
"You are saying that this is the area that would require the  
shortest amount of time to traverse?" the Captain asked  
incredulously.

Seated on the far side of the table next to the first officer,  
Harry was the one to answer Janeway's question. "From what we  
can determine, Captain, it is approximately 73 lights years wide.  
It is composed of layers of intricate bisecting beams of  
fluctuating radiation. It is also apparently all that remains of  
a very old security shield. At one time, the nets would have  
been so fine that not even our shuttlecraft could have slipped  
through. Though even in their present state of disrepair, they  
are still very effective. As such, we have yet to determine what  
exactly exists, if anything, on the other side."

"Layers of radiation nets," Tom Paris clarified. The puzzle  
before them intrigued him. Memories of his elderly aunt showing  
his sisters how to work a 'cat's-cradle' came to mind. He could  
still remember the strings stretched between Aunt Inez's gnarled  
hands as she coached Moira on how to place her fingers on the  
strings. Tom wondered how Aunt Inez would unravel these strings  
of radiation.

"Yes," Harry concurred, "layers of radiation nets are a good  
analogy." His friend always did know how to clarify a situation  
down to its basics.

Chakotay sat back and steepled his fingers against his cleft chin  
contemplating the problem. "We can't circumvent this... this...  
structure?" he asked for want of a better word.

"It would take Voyager 18.4 months go around it," Seven  
explained, "and, taking into account the challenges of flying  
through this net, we estimate that if we go through it could be  
done in approximately one month."

"So we go through," Chakotay concluded. The solution seemed  
obvious to him.

"It's not that simple," Harry explained. "Even if Voyager can  
safely pass through the nets, and it seems likely from the  
information we've gathered that it is possible--not easy but  
possible--there is something else to consider."

The Doctor stepped away from where he had been standing patiently  
against the wall behind the conference table. "Similar to our  
experience with The Void last year, the radiation the net emits  
is very detrimental to the crew. Voyager's shields cannot be  
adapted to completely counteract its effects. After Ms. Torres,  
Mr. Kim, and Seven of Nine consulted with me, I developed a  
remarkable compound to protect a person from exposure to the  
radiation. Due to the complexities involved in its manufacture  
though, I've only been able to create a small portion of it. It  
is my recommendation that we will need to dust off the stasis  
chambers one more time."

"Not the stasis chambers!" Paris groaned burying his face in his  
hands. He swore that he'd never get into one of those electronic  
coffins again. B'Elanna, who sat beside him, comforted him by  
kneading his thigh muscles with her strong fingers.

"There appears to be no other way," the Doctor continued ignoring  
the pilot-medic. "It is either that or we add 17 months to our  
journey."

Janeway stood up and joined Seven by the display. "Isn't there  
some other solution? We know what a difficult time Seven had  
last time we did this. I wouldn't like to see her experience the  
same discomfort this time."

Harry looked from Janeway to his best friend. Tom still looked  
upset at the prospect of returning to a stasis chamber. "We took  
that into consideration. We analyzed how much time it would take  
to disable a significant amount of generating stations located on  
planets, satellites, etc., but that would also take an  
extraordinary amount of time, plus it would deplete our energy  
reserve. There is also another factor to consider, in this  
instance, Seven would not be the one to remain awake. This time  
it would require the services of an ace pilot to navigate through  
the mesh of radiation."

Tom removed his hands from his face and looked up at Harry Kim.

"And while Seven has the potential to be a very competent pilot,  
she is, and probably will never be, as good as Voyager's chief  
pilot," he said with a smile directed at Paris. "It is the  
group's recommendation that Tom be the one to remain awake."

"Only, Tom? Shouldn't we at least have two pilots available,  
just in case?" the First Officer asked turning his head toward  
Paris.

"That would have been the ideal solution," the ops officer  
explained. "Tom, and one or two other pilots of his choosing,  
was what we had originally proposed. But we ran into  
complications. Doctor?" Harry prompted.

"Last time Seven was the only one not affected by the radiation  
other than me. This time though I've developed a compound. It  
is exceedingly complex to create, and it is genetically unique.  
It is individual to each person. With Voyager's present limited  
resources, I have only been able to manufacturer enough of the  
compound for one person--Ensign Paris."

"But who will relieve Mr. Paris?" Tuvok asked. "If the ship has  
to be piloted manually, as I assume will be the case in this  
instance," he waited momentarily to see both Tom Paris and Harry  
Kim nod their concurrence. "It is logical that someone will need  
to relieve him, even if for a short period of time."

"Ideally, that would be the preferred method," Seven explained  
coming over to stand by the EMH. "But not only is one of the  
substances the Doctor requires to produce this compound unable to  
be created properly with the replicators, there is not another  
pilot on Voyager that could successfully fly Voyager through  
this...this..."

"Mess." Tom supplied. "And thanks for the compliment." His own  
hand by now had found a home exploring B'Elanna's own upper leg.  
When the questing fingers tried to find over diversions, B'Elanna  
pinched him hard. He brought the hand up to the top of the  
table. Through practice of having endured the half-Klingon's  
pinches under the conference room table before, no one was any  
the wiser.

"It is a mess," Seven returned. "And you do not need to thank  
me. It is the truth, you are Voyager's best pilot."

The rest of the people in the room, save for Seven and Tuvok,  
smiled.

B'Elanna placed her hand over his own as a gesture of support, it  
also helped to cover the red mark left by her pinch, and  
addressed the group. "In addition to the compound, the Doctor  
will administer stimulants into Tom's system so he can remain  
awake and alert to increase his time at the helm. Taking into  
account that Voyager will have to go to all-stop during periods  
when he is asleep to avoid potential contact with the radiation  
streams, we have calculated that we should be clear of this  
Mess, as Tom put it, in approximately 33 days providing all  
goes as planned."

Janeway pursed her lips for a moment before she spoke. "Seems  
that we don't have much choice. I certainly don't want to add an  
additional year and a half to our journey. On the other hand,  
this would be an arduous undertaking. We know how the isolation  
affected Seven of Nine. There is no reason to believe that the  
solitude would be easier for any other member of the crew. I'll  
leave it up to you, Mr. Paris. Do you feel up for the task?" the  
Captain asked turning toward the pilot her hands on her hips.

Tom thought but for a moment. "Yes, Captain. I can do this. I  
can do anything as long as I don't have to go into one of those  
coffins again."

She observed the blue-eyed man for a long time. The silence in  
the room was almost suffocating while she carefully evaluated her  
Chief Pilot. There was no other person on the ship that she was  
aware of that enjoyed the company of their fellow crewmembers  
more than Tom Paris. She also knew that she had come to rely on  
him over the years. During their time in the Delta Quadrant if  
he assured her that he could accomplish a task, he had never  
failed her.

"Then it's decided," Janeway announced with a half-smile. "Let's  
all get to work. I want the stasis units in place as soon as  
possible. Mr. Paris, review the information we have obtained on  
these radiation nets. We don't have a moment to waste."

§§§§§§§§

Present time...

Heading for the turbolift, the sound of Tom's footsteps against  
the deck echoed through the empty corridors of the ship.  
Entering the lift, he called out for the bridge.

Since leaving the Doctor, he had returned to his cabin, changed  
into a clean uniform from the one he wore yesterday, and  
replicated his breakfast--black coffee and two pieces of toast.  
With unlimited replicator rations available to him thanks to the  
Captain's generosity, he could have asked for any one of his  
favorites: eggs benedict, a large stack of pancakes with  
sausage, but he found that since this ordeal began his appetite  
had left him. Eating alone, he concluded, was hell. it reminded  
him of his thirty days in the brig. He really missed the  
companionship of his friends and fellow crewmembers. Right now,  
he would even welcome Vorik or Tuvok's stimulating conversation  
to break the boredom, he mused. Recalling how relieved he had  
felt ten days ago when he had been told he wouldn't have to be  
placed in a stasis chamber, now he almost wished he was in one.  
At least then, he wouldn't feel so alone.

The door of the turbolift slid open and the pilot walked out onto  
the empty bridge. On the view screen, several multicolored  
radiation streams could be seen angrily slicing their way  
diagonally through space. Tom walked down past tactical and down  
the steps to his position at the helm. He had no sooner seated  
himself when the turbolift opened again, and the Doctor stepped  
out hyposprays in hand.

"How are you feeling, Ensign?"

Tom grumbled and turned to face the bald man. His demotion still  
bothered him. "How about you try that again, and this time just  
call me Tom or Paris?"

The EMH grimaced, but complied. "How are you feeling this  
morning, Tom?"

"That's better. I knew you could do it. Actually, Doc, to be  
completely honest, I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin  
if I have to stay in this Mess any longer."

"Anxiety," the EMH promptly diagnosed and stepped up closer to  
the pilot.

Tom pulled down his collar a little to allow the Doctor easier  
access.

The physician injected the anti-radiation compound into the  
pilot's neck. "I'm not going to give you the stimulant now.  
I'll check up on you later, and if you need it, I'll administer  
it then. It could be that it is interacting with the compound  
and contributing to your anxiousness." The Doctor nodded once as  
if confirming that he had made the correct decision and pivoted  
on one heel to return to Sickbay.

Tom looked at the retreating man for a moment, his mouth hung  
open as if deciding on whether to speak or not. Just before the  
EMH reached the turbolift, he called out. "Doc?"

The balding man turned back toward the pilot. "Is there  
something I can do for you?"

"Ah...um...I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're here.  
Actually, your presence has made this a bit easier. Thanks. Do  
you think you could come up at my noontime break and join me for  
lunch? I really could use someone to talk to."

The EMH was surprised and flattered by the request. The pilot  
had never asked him to join him before. "Certainly. 1300?"

"It's a date." A now smiling Tom Paris pivoted back on his chair  
toward the view screen. "Computer, play Paris Rock and Roll five  
through twelve."

::::Acknowledged::::

The hard beat of drums and the squeal of an electric guitar came  
blaring out of the bridge's speakers. The Doctor rolled his eyes  
upwards as he left the bridge.

"Computer, resume course at quarter impulse, increase to full  
impulse upon my mark."

::::Acknowledged::::

"I tried to keep at it as long as possible today, B'Elanna," Tom  
explained his soft voice, heavy lidded eyes reflected his  
exhaustion.

As with every night since they had entered the radiation streams,  
he was next to her unit, perched on the stool he had commandeered  
at the beginning of the journey. This evening though he had  
found to his surprise that a pillow and a blanket had been placed  
on top of the stool. Obviously, the EMH had come to the  
conclusion that if the pilot was going to stay down here, he  
might as well be comfortable. It did not go unappreciated by the  
pilot and he promised himself to thank the Doctor in the morning.

"When I broke for lunch today, the Doctor joined me. I'm going  
to need to have my head examined after I get through this,  
B'Elanna, but I'm actually starting to like him. Just don't tell  
him that, it will give him more of an ego than he already has, if  
that's at all possible."

B'Elanna's face remained as impassive as ever beneath the window.  
From across the other side of the cargo bay, unbeknownst to Tom,  
his lunchtime companion entered to examine the silent crew.

"I did promise him that, B'Elanna, I'd try and eat more.  
Funny...now I have almost unlimited replicator rations. I can  
order anything I want to eat, and I'm not even hungry. You know  
what I had today for supper? Peanut butter and grape jelly  
sandwiches! I can hear Neelix laughing at me and telling me that  
I ate it because I needed the comfort," Tom smirked at the  
thought for a moment before his expression changed to one of  
sadness.

The Doctor paused in examining Joe Carey's stasis chamber to  
listen to his friend.

"You know, he might be right. Maybe I do need some comfort,  
B'Elanna. I ache to hold you in my arms again--to touch you and  
have you touch...me," his voice broke from emotion. "I...I guess  
I'll have to settle for just sleeping with you tonight. Have I  
told you that I can sleep better in here on this stool with my  
head resting on your stasis unit, than I can in my own bed? Of  
course it aggravates the Doctor, but he's finally figured it out  
that when I make up my mind there's no sense arguing with me. I  
can think of no place else I'd rather be than here with you." He  
leaned over and kissed the window just above her lips. "Good  
night, my love. I'll see you tomorrow." Adjusting the blanket  
around his shoulders and tucking the pillow under his head, he  
settled down for the night and within moments he was asleep.

§§§§§§§§

Doctor's Log.

"With approximately fifteen days remaining, Ensign Thomas Eugene  
Paris is performing his job admirably. Actually, I have  
developed more respect for his piloting abilities than I ever had  
in the past. The way he maneuvers Voyager through the tinniest  
of openings in this radiation netting is nothing short of  
remarkable. How he can do it with that infernal rock and roll  
music blaring in the background though is beyond me. Now, he if  
opted for Carmen or Aida, maybe I would understand. Then again,  
when I was up there yesterday, a song--make that some noise--  
started to play. The words about not getting any satisfaction  
roared through the speakers. It was almost profound how I could  
relate those lyrics to Tom Paris' own life. But if I have  
anything to say after we get out of here, he will get some  
satisfaction. And seeing that I do have something to say  
regarding his medical training, I'm going to see that he devotes  
more of his medical training toward surgery. If he has as  
delicate a touch inside a person's body as he does at the helm,  
he might even teach me a thing or two.

"In my opinion though, Mr. Paris has been performing his duties  
at the helm above and beyond the call of duty, his time away from  
his post though is cause for deep concern. He is morose and  
sullen. Lack of human companionship is taking a heavy toll upon  
him. Despite the availability of replicator rations, he eats  
only what he must. Yesterday, he was talking to Ms. Torres in  
the Cargo Bay...I'll explain that later... and he told her that  
he was eating what he referred to as comfort food. It is my  
medical opinion that Ensign Paris is indeed in need of comfort.  
He is desperate for human contact.

"Almost since the first day the crew was placed in stasis, he has  
visited the cargo bay. His original visits were to accompany me  
to check on the status of the crew. Now he comes on his own to  
talk to them. He has strange one-sided conversations with the  
crew. I have heard him speak to Captain Janeway, Commander  
Chakotay, Harry Kim, and in particular Lt. Torres.

"To the Captain, he generally talks about his demotion to ensign  
and how he has no regrets other than he disappointed her. He  
tries to make her understand his actions, how he felt compelled  
to help the Monean people see the error of their ways. But of  
course, since she cannot hear him, there is no resolution.

"He visits the Commander's stasis unit occasionally and talks of  
the past--of his time with the Maquis, and of the present--of how  
he and the First Officer still have strained relations. I think  
he desperately wants Mr. Chakotay to understand why he didn't  
return to the Maquis with assistance as promised. How he  
contacted a nearby planet to help the Maquis and how he was  
subsequently captured by the Federation in an attempt to divert  
their attention from the crippled ship. Mr. Paris tries to  
explain how he would like to put his past behind him, and develop  
a better understanding with Voyager's second in command. It is  
obvious that Tom Paris greatly respects his former Maquis  
captain, but as with the Captain, Mr. Chakotay cannot hear his  
words or respond.

"He generally talks of past experiences on Earth with Ensign Kim.  
Mr. Paris cracks jokes about Mr. Kim's early days on board  
Voyager, and of his own childhood experiences growing up in his  
father's shadow. Some of these jokes are not that humorous.  
Bittersweet memories surface and he attempts to joke his way  
through trying to make sense of his youth and his relationship  
with his father and family. Harry Kim, even in stasis, remains a  
patient listener.

"Most of his time is spent with B'Elanna Torres, which is not  
surprising. He spends hours talking to her. He speaks of the  
day's events, his meals, me--anything and everything that he can  
think of. There are times he even pauses in his recitation  
seemingly waiting for her to reply. It's as if he forgets that  
she is in stasis, for afterwards he looks surprised and then  
disappointed not to hear her voice. Eventually, still seated  
beside her, he will rest his weary head on the chamber and fall  
asleep for the night.

"I've tried to explain to him that he would be better off in his  
own bed, but Mr. Paris is adamant that if he opts to sleep there  
then that is his choice. The other day I finally relented and  
brought down a blanket and a pillow for him to use. If he  
insists on sleeping down there, making him as comfortable as  
possible is the least I can do.

"I will continue to monitor his condition. One of the items I am  
researching is supplementing the compound I am administering to  
him with an antidepressant. So far the tests are proving  
disappointing, but I will continue. Doctor out."

§§§§§§§§

Nine days later...

Even being a hologram, the Doctor found it difficult to keep his  
balance when he visited Tom Paris on the bridge one afternoon.  
The ship would dive to port and climb the next moment to  
starboard all while Tom Paris kept time with the music by tapping  
his foot against the deck. With the inertial dampers not  
properly functioning due to the ship's closer proximity to the  
radiation streams, the EMH had to clutch the handrail to even  
come close to remaining on his feet. He was glad that B'Elanna  
had the foresight before they entered the net to have the stasis  
chambers bolted to the deck.

"Problems, Mr. Paris?!" the Doctor asked loudly trying to be  
heard above the music.

The pilot grinned and pressed a series of buttons in rapid  
succession. "No, no problems. Why do you ask?"

Stumbling down to the helm the Doctor finally grabbed onto the  
end of the helm console to steady himself.

"If this roller coaster ride keeps up much longer, even I will be  
nauseous."

"Just think of this as your introduction into test piloting, Doc.  
I performed maneuvers similar to this back on Earth during the  
pilot training program. Actually, it brings back a lot of  
memories." Tom turned the ship sharp to port and dove through  
another opening in the net.

"Mr. Paris, it is well past noon. It is time for your lunch."

"Already?" He steered the ship hard to starboard and shot  
through another opening which in turn sent the Doctor tumbling to  
the deck.

"Remind me to cut your dosage of antidepressant in half!" the  
physician snapped.

Just as the EMH rose to his knees, Tom cut the ship to starboard  
again, and once again, the Doctor found himself sprawled at the  
pilot's feet.

"Please, Mr. Paris---ah...Tom...can you stop this thing so you  
can eat and I can administer another shot of your anti-radiation  
medicine?"

"But, Doc, I'm having a lot of..." He slid the ship through  
another narrow opening. "fun."

"Now, Mr. Paris!" the hologram insisted pulling himself up once  
again.

"But..."

"No buts, bring this ship to a halt..." The ship on cue stopped  
suddenly sending the Doctor to the deck one more time, this time  
he somersaulted end over end until finally he stopped up against  
the view screen. The EMH looked up at the pilot, his lips  
pressed into a fine line and his face red with rage.

"You told me to stop," Tom explained innocently.

"Not that quickly."

"Well I don't have much choice actually. Computer, display chart  
from position 40-2-1 to 60-0-0."

The view screen changed to a graphical representation of the  
remaining distance they had to travel through to reach clear  
space. It was much denser than what they had already traveled  
through. Brightly colored lines crisscrossed the screen in a  
fine pattern.

"The distances between the radiation streams is much narrower,"  
The Doctor noted.

"I know, traveling until now has been relatively easy, in fact  
almost enjoyable at times. But now is where the real challenge  
begins. There are openings in the Net that are just big enough  
for Voyager to slip through. I may have no more than a few  
meters on each side of the ship to play with."

"Will that be enough?"

"It'll have to be, but there is another problem, Doc. When I  
enter this dense layer of the Net, they'll be no stopping. From  
what I've been able to determine from the computer readouts,  
there is no place to park Voyager that will be stable enough.  
The radiation streams are so close together that if Voyager was  
at dead stop they would push and pull at the ship until the ship  
would come in contact with one of the beams. If that happens, it  
would destroy her and us. Once I begin, I can't stop."

The EMH still seated on the floor looked first at the pilot and  
then bent his head backwards to look at the screen above him  
before he focused on Paris again. "How long to you think it will  
take?"

"The readouts are not precise. We can't even be sure what  
exactly is on the other side of these radiation streams. But I  
would estimate between seventy to eighty hours."

"Seventy to eighty hours? That's a long time to remain alert and  
functioning. Are you sure there is no other solution?

The pilot shook his head.

"Then I'll have to administer sedatives and nutrients to you  
during that time."

"Thanks, Doc. But I'm going to need something else from you too.  
I'm going to need you up here on the bridge with me. I need a  
second set of eyes to man tactical and ops. While I'm threading  
Voyager though one opening, I'm going to need you to tell me  
where the next target is located. Do you think you can do that?"

"I'm a Doctor not a seamstress," he proudly informed his friend.  
"But if you show me what it is you need me to do, I'll do my very  
best."

Paris pulled himself out from the helm, walked around to where  
the Doctor was seated, and reached down and hauled the man to his  
feet. "Thanks, I knew I could count you. Well I've put on the  
parking brake, and I thought we could grab a bite to eat--or I  
could grab a bite to eat and you can watch--and I'll get to bed  
early tonight. When I get up tomorrow, we are going to be very  
busy. Hell, Doc, if you're nice I'll even play some opera for  
you while you are on the bridge," Tom quipped slapping the bald  
man on the shoulder.

"Carmen?"

"Carmen it is," Tom agreed but waggled his finger at the Doctor,  
"But I warn you I don't know all the words."

§§§§§§§§

Later that evening...

"...I won't be seeing you for a while, B'Elanna," Tom explained.  
His fingers traced the pattern of her lips on the surface of the  
window above her face. 'I'll be living on the bridge for the  
next few days. But afterwards, we'll have some time together. I  
thought that you might like to go sailing on Lake Como. Just  
you, me, and the moonlight--and maybe a bottle of champagne. I  
can even throw in a beautiful sunset as an appetizer. We'll  
drift on the waves until...well you know what always happens  
after--the desert. I miss you, B'Elanna. This is almost worse  
than my thirty days in solitary. You are so close but so far  
away at the same time. I promise you it won't be for long. Soon  
you'll be in my arms. Placing his hand across the window that  
separated them, he pulled the pillow toward him with the other  
hand and finally drifted off to sleep.

§§§§§§§§

"Doc, give me a reading on the starboard sensor grid. Does  
everything look in order?"

The Doctor called up the correct screen on Tuvok's panel and  
looked it over. "It says it's within normal parameters."

"Good. I'm going to edge us through another one. Computer, drop  
speed to one-eighth impulse."

:::Acknowledged.:::

"Doc, while I get us through this one, find me another opening in  
the next layer."

"I'm already working on it."

Tom opened his mouth to reply but emitted a deep yawn instead. It  
did not go unnoticed by the physician.

"After you get through this one, I'll give you another shot of  
stimulant," the EMH told him worriedly. They had been doing this  
for almost 48 hours, and by the last calculations, they might  
have to keep it up for another 28 hours before they would be  
clear.

True to Tom's promise he had allowed the Doctor to play some of  
his opera and had even introduce the EMH to one or two arias that  
the physician hadn't even heard before--but that was the first  
day. With rock and roll music pounding through the speakers, the  
Doctor having relented to Tom's preference in music in an effort  
to keep the pilot alert, and with the help of the stimulants and  
nutritional supplements, Tom was doing well at the start of the  
second day. During the past several hours though, the pilot had  
started to wane. The increased stress of having to fly Voyager  
with a surgeon's precision was mentally as well as physically  
exhausting. The EMH could see the tension that was manifested in  
the taut muscles across Paris' neck, shoulders, and back. It  
worried him, he wasn't certain that his friend would be able to  
endure.

"What's the distance between this layer and the next, Doc?" Paris  
snapped

"One hundred forty-one meters."

"Damn! We don't even have enough room to breath! Voyager itself  
is 133 meters wide."

"You only have a 4-meter leeway on each side of Voyager. Can you  
do it?"

"I have no choice, Doc. I have to do it. Just shoot me up again  
with another wake-me-up shot, and I'll be fine."

Knowning it was useless to argue, the Doctor grimly picked up his  
ever-present hypospray, pulled down the pilot's collar and gave  
him another shot. Paris' eyes never left the viewscreen while  
the physician performed his task. Releasing the collar, the  
hologram took his free hand and squeezed his friend's shoulder to  
reassure both of them. Ideally stimultants were only recommended  
for use in extreme conditions, and preferably for short periods  
of time. Already Mr. Paris and exceeded the recommended  
parameters by close to three times.

"I know you'll be fine," the EMH replied trying to reassure both  
the pilot and himself. "Now let's both work to get through this.  
I have people I need to wake up from stasis."

"Only nineteen hours to go, Doc. Piece of cake."

The EMH grumbled but returned to Tuvok's station.

§§§§§§§§

Wide emerald-colored eyes framed by extremely long black  
eyelashes looked up at her supervisor, they expressed her  
astonishment at what she saw on her analyzer.

"Kri Gybet, there is something coming through the security grid,"  
the owner of the distinctive eyes exclaimed, her shinny black  
hair framed her petite face.

A tall man, broad of shoulder and of girth turned to face her.  
"Impossible, no one has ever crossed the grid. Double check your  
instruments, B'tin.

Obeying, her nimble long fingers danced over he control panel.  
"Confirmed, sir. Some type of ship is weaving its way through.  
By my calculations, if they maintain the present rate of speed,  
they should be through in," she tapped a series of buttons in  
front of her, "three point four rotations."

Kri Gybet marched over to his command console and pounded once on  
a large black button. "Situation Blue...Situation Blue...All  
flight members assigned to first level, launch immediately...this  
is not a drill...repeat, this is not a drill..."

§§§§§§§§

"Give me another, Doc," Paris demanded brusquely. His heavy head  
lulled to one side, all the while his hands were a blur of motion  
on the helm's console.

"Mr. Paris, you aren't due for another shot until 0300, it is now  
only..."

"I DON'T CARE!!! I need it now. Unless you want Voyager to  
explode, you'll give me a shot NOW!!!!.

The Doctor gave him another shot of stimulant along with a  
booster shot of the anti-radiation compound.

"I should warn you...Tom...that due to the amount of stimulant  
that you've received, that when it wears off, you will probably  
sleep for days..."

"It's either Voyager crashes or I do. I don't have much choice,"  
he replied already feeling more alert. "Another two hours or so  
and we should be in clear space. Any readings regarding what we  
will be facing when we get there?"

"I'll check." The EMH strode over to Harry Kim's station and  
called up the appropriate information. "Still nothing. The  
radiation is still preventing us from receiving any data. It  
looks like we'll just have to wait and see for ourselves when we  
get there."

"That can't come too soon."

§§§§§§§§

"First Level is in place, Kri Gybet."

"Very good, B'tin. Tell them to remain alert, the ship should be  
coming out of the grid any time now," Kri Gybert carefully  
adjusted the shiny medals that adorned his new green uniform top.  
Inform them that I'll will join them there before the appointed  
time."

She nodded.

§§§§§§§§

"One more layer, Doc and we're through," Paris said, relief was  
evident in his voice, but he knew he had to guide Voyager through  
this last opening just as carefully as he had the first. He took  
a deep breath and steered the ship into the final gap. Soon he  
would be able to relax, see B'Elanna awaken, and finally get some  
well deserved sleep.

The ribbons of radiation energy slid past Voyager ever so slowly.  
The Doctor called out numbers to the pilot indicating the amount  
of leeway that he had to play with...which wasn't much. Then,  
finally, when the they cleared the last of the Mess, the Doctor  
called out: "We're through, Mr. Paris...you did it!"

Tom smiled. "We did it, Doc."

A beep on his console, brought the EMH's attention back to the  
screen. "Tom, we have thirty...no thirty-eight alien spacecraft  
approaching us on a heading of 30.76."

"Hail them, Doc. I'm in no mood for a fight."

Not to mention too tired to fight, the Doctor thought. "We're  
patched through."

Tom slowly rose from his position at the helm and joined the  
Doctor at the op station where he leaned heavily on the console.  
"Alien vessels, this is Ensign Paris of the U.S.S. Voyager, we  
mean you no harm. We are travelers from afar just trying to get  
home."

The screen crackled and a hum came over the intercom. Soon Kri  
Gybet's face appeared. "Ensign Paris, it is our pleasure to meet  
you. My name is Kri Gybet, I represent the citizens of Zytris.  
Please allow us to escort your vessel back to our planet where we  
can honor you and your crew."

Tom looked relieved at hearing the kind voice and was suddenly  
very, very tired. His eyes, reddened from lack of sleep, fought  
to remain open. "Thank you, Kri Gybet, it...it..." He looked up  
at the Doctor once, gripped him by the forearm, then ever so  
softly sunk to the deck. Thomas Eugene Paris had crashed.

Kri Gybet looked at the Doctor, obviously very worried about what  
he had just witnessed. "Is he ill?"

"No, he is just very tired. I'm the ship's doctor. If you'll  
allow me a moment, I can bring the ship's senior officer, our  
captain, out to speak with you."

"Isn't he the senior officer?" Gybet asked pointing to where Tom  
lay quietly by the Doctor's feet.

"No. He's just the best pilot in the Delta Quadrant and a damn  
fine medic to boot, just don't tell him that I said so." The EMH  
looked down at his friend then back up to the alien.

Kri Gybet just nodded and smiled.

§§§§§§§§

"When do you think he'll wake, Doctor," B'Elanna asked. She had  
been involved with diplomatic functions, something she always  
hated, ever since she had been revived from stasis. Now, almost  
eighteen hours later, she was at her mate's bedside again.

The EMH sighed. First, it was B'Elanna herself who had stopped  
in immediately upon being awakened, then later the Captain,  
Harry, Neelix, the First Officer...the list just went on and on.  
By now many of them had returned two or three times to check on  
the pilot. All wanted to know when Tom Paris would wake up.  
This would make B'Elanna's sixth visit, beaming back to Voyager  
from the surface every few hours.

"I'm not sure, Lieutenant. He took several doses of the  
stimulant to get through that security grid. After all that, I  
didn't even want to move him enough to take of his uniform. All  
I can say is that he'll wake up when he's rested enough. It  
could be five minutes from now or five days from now, but I  
promise I'll let you know as soon as he does."

"Five days?" B'Elanna replied dejectedly.

"Well probably not five days, but definitely longer than five  
minutes. Would you like to stay with him?"

"For a little while." B'Elanna pulled up a chair next to the  
biobed and sat down. "I can't stay for long, there's a lot of  
work to be done in engineering."

"I'm sure he would understand."

B'Elanna sighed and with one hand casually brushed back her  
mate's hair from his forehead. "You know while I was in stasis,  
I could have sworn that he was with me. It's silly but..."

"He was."

"Excuse me?"

"Every night, save for the last three, he was with you. He would  
come in, talk to you for hours, and eventually fall asleep  
against your stasis chamber."

She looked from the Doctor back down to the sleeping man. He  
looked so peaceful, so calm. He looked like the man, and was the  
man, that she had fallen head over heels in love with.

"I wish he'd talk more to me when we were both awake," she said  
softly her dark eyes never leaving the pilot. "He keeps so much  
bottled up inside."

"He will, B'Elanna, you just have to give him time. He has a lot  
to say."

"Who has a lot to say?"

The engineer and physician both turned to see that the First  
Officer had entered the room.

"Who has a lot to say?" he repeated.

"Mr. Paris," the EMH answered motioning the two ex-Maquis away  
from where Paris was sleeping. He wanted the pilot to waken on  
his own and not be disturbed.

"What, he has some new jokes to tell?" Chakotay quipped when they  
had retreated a safe distance.

"Not that I know of, but you should talk to him sometime,  
Commander. Ask him about what happened after he left the  
Maquis."

"I know what happened," the First Officer countered crossing his  
arms in front of him.

B'Elanna spoke up. "Maybe you do, and maybe you don't, Chakotay.  
Take the Doctor's advice and talk to him sometime. It's time you  
and he put that part of your past behind you."

"He's spoken to you about it?" the tattooed man asked.

The half-Klingon nodded. "Some, it's been awhile. The Doctor's  
right, Chakotay, you should speak with him."

"Okay, I will. But while I have you both here, there is a few  
things I need to talk to you about..."

§§§§§§§§

Kri Gybet graciously ushered Captain Kathryn Janeway and  
Commander Tuvok into his private dining area. Having changed out  
of his uniform he was now wearing ceremonial robes. The heavy  
purple material of the robe rustled as he showed his guests to  
their seats. Satisfied that they would comfortable, he clapped  
his hands twice before he also sat down. The claps brought two  
smiling female servants into the room carrying trays laden with  
culinary delicacies and bottles of amber colored liquid. Gybet  
smiled his thanks at the women and soon they hurried off leaving  
the three alone with the feast.

Kri Gybet carefully selected one of the bottles. "Can I offer  
you some refreshment? This is a beverage we call pypet. We  
ferment it here on my estate from the pyprian fruit." Without  
waiting for an answer he proceeded to fill two slender glasses  
and passed them to first Janeway and then to Tuvok. Then he took  
two plates off the other large tray. One plate was covered in  
small pie-like pastries. Purple filling bubbled up between the  
slits in the crust. On the other platter, delicate leafy  
vegetables that had been stuffed with a creamy filling had been  
arranged in a circular pattern. Janeway chose the sweet and  
Tuvok the vegetable--both sipped at the pypet. The Captain  
smiled at her host.

"Excellent, Kri Gybet. The wine, as we would call it, is lovely,  
and the pastry...you have to give me the recipe so I can pass it  
on to my cook." Janeway licked at the crumbs that clung to her  
fingers.

"I'll also make sure you have a cask of pypet to take with you on  
your journey. But, please, now that we are alone, call me Tikot.  
I still have yet to get used to being a kri. Oh mind you, the  
medals are nice, but there are times when I wish I was still in  
the ranks. People are sometimes afraid to talk to me. Think I'm  
going to demote them or something."

Janeway paled slightly remembering when she had demoted her pilot  
before she found her voice. "I think our Mr. Paris would agree  
with you, Tikot. If he ever achieved the rank of admiral, he'd  
wouldn't like the pomp and circumstance that would accompany that  
position."

"Oh yes, Ensign Paris. How is he? You know I only got to speak  
with him briefly before he fell asleep...not that he didn't  
deserve it. I still can't believe he piloted your ship by  
himself through that old security net. The race that constructed  
it has long since faded from history but it still remained  
effective, though we aren't sure as to the reason behind its  
construction. We certainly never thought that anyone would make  
their way through."

"Well if anybody could it, would be our pilot, though it took a  
lot out of him. He still hasn't recovered from the feat. Last I  
checked, he was still peacefully asleep on Voyager. It's a shame  
really, he's missing out on a wonderful shore leave. There is no  
one that appreciates a good shore leave like Ens...um...Tom."

"You seem reluctant to call your crewman by his rank, Captain  
Janeway. Do you mind if I ask why?"

Kathryn shifted uneasily in her chair, looked up once at Tuvok,  
encountered his trademark raised eyebrow, then turned back to  
Tikot. "It's a bit of a long story. Basically, Mr. Paris felt  
compelled to assist a planet that we encountered some months ago.  
Against my orders, he commandeered a shuttlecraft and went to the  
planet's surface to help save its citizens from their own  
government." Voyager's captain took a long drink of the alien  
wine. It burned satisfyingly as it flowed down her throat. "I  
had no choice at the time but to reduce him in rank." I'm not  
about to tell the Kri that I also put him in the brig. It's not  
hard to tell that he is a big fan of our pilot. There is no  
sense in disrupting the harmony of such a gracious people.

"Ah, it is difficult being in command. I myself have been  
through similar situations over the years. Having to reduce  
someone in rank is not a pleasant task." Tikot drank from his own  
glass before placing it carefully back down on the table. "I  
hope I'm not too bold to ask if Mr. Paris' latest mission through  
the Net will restore his rank?"

Janeway looked warmly up at her new friend and graced him with a  
warm smile. "An excellent idea, Tikot. Would you care to  
accompany us to Voyager to witness the event?"

"I thought you'd never ask. Since you've arrived I've been  
wanting to visit your Mr. Paris and Voyager. In fact there is  
something that I would like to give to him"

Voyager's captain tapped her comm badge. "Voyager, three to beam  
up."

§§§§§§§§

Finding that Tom was still asleep, Janeway adjourned briefly to  
her cabin to procure a lieutenant's pip. With it safely pocketed  
in her uniform, Janeway proceeded to escort her guest around  
Voyager. The Doctor was ordered to contact her as soon as Paris  
woke up.

With each new turn, Tikot was amazed at what he saw. He asked  
questions of everyone, from the senior staff down to the lowest  
of crewmembers, and politely and patiently listened to the  
replies. On the bridge, he walked around, looking at all the  
stations with great interest. Harry Kim smiled warmly at him  
when he examined his ops station and answered several questions.  
In engineering, B'Elanna Torres explained the theory behind the  
warp core and while she was in the middle of introducing him to  
several of her engineers, the Captain's comm badge chirped.

"Captain, this is the EMH. Tom Paris is waking up. You asked to  
be notified."

B'Elanna smiled, and Janeway grinned back at her Chief of  
Engineering and Kri Gybet.

"Care to accompany us, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Captain."

"I didn't think I could keep you away."

§§§§§§§§

The Captain followed by Kri Gybet and B'Elanna Torres entered  
Sickbay. Over on the far biobed they could see that Tom Paris  
was rubbing at his eyes and beginning to wake up. The Doctor,  
who was bringing the pilot a glass of water, motioned for them to  
come over.

Circling the pilot they watched the Doctor hand his patient the  
glass. Sleepily, Tom reached for it and drank a sip or two,  
before giving it back to the Doctor. It was only then that he  
looked around and noticed his audience.

"Kri Gybet, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Thomas Eugene  
Paris, our chief pilot," Kathryn Janeway said proudly.

Tom held out his hand, and the alien, as he had seen the humans  
do during their visit to his planet, shook it.

"Good to meet you, Kri Gybet. You were the one..." Tom tried  
hard to stifle a yawn but it escaped him. "Sorry, just can't  
stop yawning. You were the one that contacted us, right?"

"Yes, that's me. I just wanted to say to you in person what a  
fine job of piloting you did. I've never seen any better."

Blushing, Tom ran his hand through his sleep ruffled hair.  
"Thanks, but I did have some help. I couldn't have done it  
without the Doctor."

The EMH smiled proudly.

"Do you know that you are the first person to successfully  
navigate the Net? Your name will go down in history on our  
planet. School children will be taught about the day someone  
traversed the Net and visited us from afar."

Tom rubbed his eyes again. This time he saw that B'Elanna was  
standing next to him and he reached out for her. She grabbed his  
hand. Damn, it felt good to touch her again. If everyone else  
would just leave us alone.

"Is Lt. Torres your joined soul?" Kri Gybet asked motioning to  
B'Elanna.

"Joined soul?" Tom smiled at B'Elanna. "Yeah, that  
says...it..." Another yawn hit the pilot, he blinked his eyes  
several times trying to remain awake. B'Elanna laughed at the  
expression on his face.

"You can see it in their eyes," Gybet explained with a grin.  
"Even tired eyes."

The Captain cleared her throat and the group's attention centered  
on her. "Tom, one of the reasons we came down here was so I  
could give you something."

He yawned again half covering his mouth with his free hand.  
"Give me something, Captain?"

"Yes," Janeway reached into her pocket and pulled out a lone pip.  
"Thomas Eugene Paris, I have entered into the ship's log that on  
this date you are hereby restored to the rank of lieutenant."  
She adhered the small round pin to the collar of the uniform her  
pilot still wore. It looked good to see it back where it  
belonged on his collar again.

Then Kri Gybet stepped forward and withdrew a large metallic  
object from one of his own pockets. "And I would like to award  
you with the Grand Order of Zytris, our planet's highest honor."  
He pinned the large medal on Tom's left shoulder then stood back,  
brought his right hand to his left shoulder, saluting the pilot.

"There will be a formal ceremony in a few days, Lieutenant,"  
Janeway informed him. "Until then, you can go on shore leave and  
relax."

Another yawn, this time larger than the others.

"Thanks...Umm relax...sounds...good." He yawned again, blinked  
his eyes twice but this time didn't open them after the last  
blink. Then he lowered himself back down to the mattress and  
with one hand still clutching B'Elanna's, he used his free hand  
to pull the sheet up to his shoulder. Sleep...sounds...better..."  
he murmured then promptly was asleep again.

The Captain turned to her guest. Tikot's he face broke with a  
smile and he laughed lightly. "I can think of no other person I  
know who deserves the sweetness of sleep more than he. Let's  
adjourn and leave him in peace. Captain Janeway, I believe that  
you were going to show me the holodecks?"

Janeway nodded at his wisdom and smiled. Turning to B'Elanna she  
noticed that even in sleep Tom hadn't relinquished his grip on  
her hand.

"B'Elanna, it looks like Tom isn't going to let you go anwhere,  
consider yourself off-duty. I'll inform Lt. Carey not to expect  
you in engineering for a while. In the mean time, you can take  
care of your joined soul."

"Thanks, Captain. I wouldn't want to miss it when he wakes up  
next time. I'm not even sure he'll remember what just happened."

Janeway smiled. "Doctor, if you would accompany us. Kri Gybet,  
I'm sure has some questions for you as well."

"Of course, Captain. It would be my pleasure. Lt. Torres, if  
you need me you know how to reach me."

B'Elanna nodded. The three then left her alone with the sleeping  
man and exited Sickbay. It was good to be alone with Tom again,  
she thought, even if it was in here.

"Are they gone?"

"Tom!" she admonished lightly.

One blue eye popped open, it looked into her shocked face. "Are  
they gone?" he whispered again.

"Yes, they're gone."

Tom grinned and opened the other eye as well.

"Tom Paris, you just received your pip back and a medal from the  
Kri. How could you just dismiss them like that and pretend to  
fall back to sleep?"

"Because I don't care about medals and pips, B'Elanna. I didn't  
think about those trinkets for the last month. All I thought of was  
you." He sat up on the bed and grabbed his mate by her  
shoulders. "Come up here, B'Elanna, I want to feel you next to  
me."

"But we're in Sickbay!"

"Computer, install security lock on Sickbay, authorization Paris  
Omega Epsilon Two."

:::Acknowledged:::

"Now come up here so I can show you how much I missed you."

"You can't order me, Lt. Paris, I believe I have seniority, by  
about thirty-five days."

"Are you saying you don't want to join me?"

"I didn't say that," B'Elanna said with a sly smile as she let  
herself be pulled up onto her mate.

"Then show me, B'Elanna. Show me what you want to say. I'll  
show you how much I missed you."

"Here in Sickbay?! We could sneak off to my cabin, the Doctor  
isn't around, he would..." Her words were interrupted by the  
pilot capturing her lips with his own. It was hard to talk when  
you had someone's tongue in your mouth. Eventually, they both  
broke away breathlessly.

"I can't wait that long. I need you, and I need you now,  
B'Elanna."

"Tom, I can't wait either, but are you sure you're up for it?"

"I guess you'll find out."

The End.


End file.
